Crossroads rice producers say ratoon crop helps

When it comes to most things ag, a producer has one shot per season to make a healthy crop.

Every rule has its exception, however. And, in this case, it's rice.

Rice is among the few crops that produce ratoon, or second crops, said Brent Batchelor, Texas AgriLife Extension agent for Matagorda County. After the season's initial harvest, he said, a second, smaller one takes place typically in October.

"It's just an added bonus," he said, explaining about 50 to 60 percent of his county's rice acreage comes from second crop. "For the most part, the plant's already there. Take advantage of that opportunity."

Second harvest is all about timing, said Mike Hiller, extension agent for Jackson County.

Although producers typically devote about two-thirds of their planted acreage to a second crop, it depends on when the first harvest came off the field. If it's late coming off, he explained, it's difficult to get plants where they need to be the second time around.

"The days are getting shorter, and you need length in your daylight to get a second crop," Hiller said. "When the days get shorter, it takes longer to get to maturity."

The Zboril family, who farm in Wharton County, planted their rice crop - 850 to 900 acres - in late March, said Frank Zboril III. They finished the first harvest about Sept. 4, he said, and are now waiting for that second crop to develop.

Going after a second harvest isn't always a sure thing, Zboril's brother Floyd Zboril said. He said yields typically come in about one-fifth of what the first harvest brings in, but there are times that a second crop simply doesn't want to come out.

Uncertainty or not, he said it's worth it to try.

Root systems are already established, he explained, so replanting isn't necessary. All it takes is some fertilizer and adequate water, he said, as well as time to let that growth take place.